Trial by Existence
by Jurojin
Summary: Do you believe in fate? It's a question that is asked of all of us at one time or another. T/M story but also John/Elizabeth from Stargate: Atlantis - AU
1. Chapter 1

_New story!_

This isn't the season 7 one everyone wants. That first chapter is half way done. But, this idea wouldn't leave me alone so I went ahead and got it out. It will seem similar to Heroes, X-Men and just about any kind of comic story really. I'm not taking any story line from anything, it's all mine. But really, anything with super powers will be similar to other stories with super powers.

And, this is a Tony/Michelle story but it's also a John/Elizabeth story. These two characters are fromStargate: Atlantis. You don't need to know the lore of that TV show but just know that other characters from that series will be in this as well so get ready to meet some new faces. Everyone should be watching Atlantis anyway.

So, I hope people enjoy this. If you have any questions, just ask.

* * *

_Do you believe in fate?_ _It's a question that is asked of all of us at one time or another. Do we have the ability to choose? Are we capable of learning from our mistakes or are we destined to travel the course already set before us? Our responses change as life turns. Sometimes we say yes, sometimes we say no. The question is always asked but no one ever really wonders...if there is such a thing as fate, then are we truly free?_

* * *

_Asher, Oklahoma_

John Sheppard had just about had enough of this.

This wasn't his farm. He knew that. But working for someone who was such an idiot didn't come easy. What was it they told his mother? He had a problem with authority?

John smirked as he continued loading. _I only have a problem with authority when the authority is wrong._

"Sheppard! Quit fucking around back there and pick it up!"

John sighed throwing the last bail of hay into his truck and dusting his hands off on his jeans. The puff of dust and dirt curled up and agitated his eyes. He pulled off his gloves and slid into the cab, starting the engine. He made this trip about a million times a day. The work was hard but it was a job. He couldn't really complain considering the circumstances. The military didn't want him anymore and there wasn't much left for a disgraced ex-pilot to do so he was lucky to get this. He'd grown up on a farm; this had all been second nature to him. The problem he had was how shifty and un-safe Carl ran things. He wasn't blind, he knew people needed work, he knew cutting corners was just about the only thing keeping this place going but they had kids working here.

Throwing the truck into park, he made his way around the back and started unloading the hay. _Screw it_, he thought, _this is all I'm really good at so I may as well just shut my mouth and do my job. _

John tossed out the last of the bundles and slammed the tailgate closed. He started to slide into the seat when something sounded in the distance. He paused, turning around back towards the barn he'd come from earlier. He heard it again, it sounded like sirens. Squinting off into the distance he finally made out what looked like billows of smoke above the trees. _Shit. The barn._

He mentally tallied the distance. He was about five miles out and the nearest fire station was even further. No way would they get there in time to do much of anything. John looked around, no houses for miles, no one to witness anything. He pulled off his gloves and tossed them into the truck, shutting and locking it. He didn't want Carl on his ass for losing the truck. Well, if Carl lived through the fire. He walked out from the truck and stopped, dropping his arms by his sides and closing his eyes. The last time he did this it ended in his court marshal. _I_ _saved those men though, that's all that matters._

It started with his unruly hair. Red and orange waves flowed over the top of his head, popping and sizzling as liquid fire spread from top to bottom, encompassing his entire body. John shot straight up then flew towards the barn. It took him no time at all to get back, the entire barn up in flames. The workers were circled around the building. He landed at the top of a tree, scanning the crowd for all the faces he'd seen that morning in the barn.

_Johnson, Anderson, Allen....Wilson, where was Josh?_ The kid worked the bailer. John flew to another tree on the far side of the barn and scanned the people again. The kid was missing.

He stood and killed the flames. Jumping down from the tree, he floated to the edge of the forest line and made his way to the barn. The back side was nothing but a wall of fire, the heat coming off of it was suffocating and everyone had moved back around to the front. John didn't feel a thing.

A hole had already burnt into the structure and he squeezed between the planks. He looked around. The main support columns were nearly ate through; the roof would be coming down soon. "Josh!"

"Sheppard!" John moved toward the sound and found the boy trapped under a piece of the second floor. It looked like the kid had crawled under a table. He pushed the debris away as best he could and squatted down. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I...I think the table took the most of it." He gave John a look of fear and confusion. "How-"

"Worry about that later. Let's get you out." John slid one arm around his back and another under his knees, pulling the 12 year old up and out of the mess. Josh wrapped his arms around his neck, leaning in close to avoid the flames as they made their way back the way John came. He looked up at the older man. "So, what are you? Like Superman or somethin'?"

"Nah. I'm just fire proof."

* * *

_Chicago, Illinois_

"I got this." Officer Rodriguez slid out of his cruiser and pulled his shoulder up, talking into his radio. "Dispatch, this is 1012. Responding to a disturbance at Seaton and Williamson."

"You sure we should go in before Miles gets here?"

Rodriguez glanced over at the rookie he'd been stuck with. Miller meant well. The kid's heart was in the right place, he just needed to gain a little more instinct. Before he could answer him, Rodriguez's radio crackled back. "1012 that's a roger."

He shut the driver's side door and pulled his flashlight. Their route wasn't in the best areas of town but this particular building had always drawn some of the more seedy elements. Most likely this was just another homeless drug addict holed up for the night someplace warm. He waved the light along the outside of the entrance and motioned for Miller to cover his six.

The building had been condemned and empty for years now. The walls were crumbling in some places and no doubt the small shifting noises they heard were rats roaming from room to room. Still, Rodriguez never dropped his guard. They moved from floor to floor and finally reached the top, finding nothing on the previous levels below. The last sweep finished, Rodriguez sighed. Apparently someone was just imagining things.

"There's nothing here." He turned to face Miller and scrunched his eyes in confusion. The rookie wasn't there. "Miller?"

"Mike, c'mere. I think I got something."

He made his way towards Miller's voice and found him crouching low outside a room at the end of the hallway. "I think I saw some movement at the back. Could just be a rat, but maybe not."

Mike pulled his side arm and slowly trailed the flashlight around the room. In the farthest corner, sitting against the wall and trying his best to look as small as possible, was a man. Mike left the light trained on him while he spoke. "Chicago police. I need you to move away from the wall slowly and lay face down on the ground." The man didn't move.

Miller shifted nervously beside him and he tried once more. "Sir, I need you to move away from the wall and lay face down on the ground. If you don't do as I say I'll have to restrain you." The man still didn't move.

Mike sighed and turned back to the rookie. "Pull your flashlight and keep it on him." Miller did as he was told, the beam shaking slightly. Mike stood and took a few small steps into the room, observing the suspect for any sudden movements. He looked to be about 5'9 or 5'10, not very tall but he looked solid. His black shirt and jeans were dirty and worn and he tilted his head toward them for a split second, enough for Mike to see he was Hispanic. Maybe he just didn't understand them? Stopping his movement, Rodriguez tried again, this time in Spanish. "Policía de Chicago. Le necesito moverse lejos de la pared lentamente y poner la cara abajo en la tierra." Still nothing.

Mike loudly huffed in annoyance. "Ok, I've had enough of this." He turned to Miller. "C'mere. Keep the light on him and pull your side arm. He won't answer us, so we're taking him for a ride." The rookie approached nervously, his eyes never leaving the man in the corner. "Hey, you ok? Can you do this?" Miller swallowed heavily and cut his eyes between Mike and the man, licking his lips. "Yeah, yeah I'm good." Mike slapped him on the back and smirked. "Don't worry kid, nothing to it."

His focus back on the suspect, Rodriguez's demeanor once again went on alert. He was able to make it next to the man without incident. Now that he had a closer look, the guy was clearly homeless. He was filthy, black hair curling and going wherever it pleased, more than a week's growth on what Mike could see on his face. Mike reached down and placed one hand on his shoulder, applying enough pressure to indicate he wanted him to lay down on the ground. "I have no idea if you understand me since you've chosen to do this the hard way." The man wouldn't budge, so he applied more pressure.

"Please...don't do this."

"Oh so you _can _talk. Feel like cooperating now? Face down on the floor." He watched as the man slowly reached towards the floor, his arms shaking. Mike leaned in closer; the guy was sweating and his breathing was picking up, becoming rougher. The man made it to his stomach, his arms in front of him, palms flat on the floor. "Have you taken anything tonight sir?" Miller's light shimmied and Mike looked up. He rolled his eyes at the rookie, he was scared to death.

"No. I haven't taken anything."

"Do you have any ID on you?" He wasn't expecting an answer but he actually got one. "My uh, my wallet's in my back right pocket." The man dropped his forehead to the floor and Mike watched him take in big breaths, trying to calm himself. He'd taken something for sure. He reached to his back pocket and pulled the wallet out, flipping it open. "Anthony Almeida. Looks like we have a former military man. Not exactly what the government was expecting out of you I'm assuming." He slipped the wallet into one of his uniform's pockets and reached for his handcuffs. "Place your hands behind your back Anthony."

Almeida took another deep breath. "Look, just...just let me go. You don't want to do this." "I don't want to do my job? Come on buddy, make this easy on yourself and just put your hands behind your back or I'm going to have to move them for you."

Mike watched, slightly confused as it seemed to be harder and harder for Almeida to talk. _What the hell is this guy on?_ "I'm....trying to make this...easier on...._you_." Now he was speaking through gritted teeth.

"Ok that's it." Rodriguez reached down and wrapped his hand around Almeida's left wrist and the guy bolted up off the floor faster than anything Mike had ever seen in his entire life. It all seemed to happen so fast and yet not at all. Almeida was up, making his way towards the door. Miller reacted and the sound of the gun was deafening in the small room. Almeida stumbled backwards, a hand instantly going to his side and the rapidly spreading blood stain.

"Miller! Stand down!"

The rookie was white as a ghost. "I...I thought..."

"You shouldn't have done that." They both turned at his voice. It wasn't the same as before. This was deeper, scratchy and so cold it caused Mike's hair to stand on end. The sight that greeted them caused every instinct he had to go on red alert. Blue scaled skin, claws and yellow slitted eyes. _What the fuck is this guy?_

Almeida moved and it was like a blur in the dark room, their flashlights discarded; rolling and spinning illuminating nothing but the new decoration of blood and gore that now painted the walls.

* * *

Michelle Dessler yawned and picked up her coffee mug, cringing when her lips met with cold instead of warm liquid. Night shift was always the worst.

The constant hum and whirring of the computers in the control room always threatened to put her to sleep. Dr. Weir had teased her about it several times but Michelle still felt pride in the fact that the woman trusted her enough with such an important task. The night shift was hard but what they were doing was extremely vital. Still, she _was _about to fall asleep. She got up, grabbing her mug off the desk and turned, only to be brought back to the main panel by one of the alarms. She typed at the keyboard, pinpointing the issue and her eyes grew large. She pulled the nearest phone up and dialed, not even waiting for the person on the other end to greet her.

"Dr. Weir. You need to come to the control room. That guy you've been looking for? I think I just found him."


	2. Chapter 2

_On my LJ site is a pic of the people from Atlantis you need to know. Figured I should supply something for those that aren't familiar._

And onto the next chapter.

* * *

_Somewhere in Nevada_

Dr. Elizabeth Weir just sighed and pressed on the intercom button again. These training sessions were going to be the death of her. She was in charge of a very important project. A project that seemed to only encompass people who acted like children on a daily basis.

"Let's try this again gentlemen." She watched the two men whine and hang their heads. "We will continue these trials until I feel you are trustworthy for the field. Now, continue."

She took a minute to jot down some notes as the two subjects started to engage. A shuffling noise behind her pulled her attention around and she smiled up at her assistant. "I think they are starting to hate me."

"As long as they don't hate me, I don't see what the issue is." Michelle smirked and went back to her computer. "It still going slow then I take it?"

Elizabeth nodded while making more notes. "Too bad common sense isn't a super power. I swear it's almost like they have to sacrifice IQ points to use their abilities. And it's not just the men. The women have been equally as cocky. Well, all except for one, a uh..." she pulled over another paper "a Teyla Emmagan. She passed with flying colors. She's our number four with me, you and Ronon."

Michelle never looked up from her work as she spoke. "I'm sure you will remember that Ronon was a complete ass when we first got here. They'll come around, it just takes some time."

"Yes but he had a very good reason for being an ass. He was trying to protect a remarkably gifted younger sister." Elizabeth turned and smiled back at the younger woman.

Michelle finally looked up and smiled. "Ronon is an ass regardless, trust me." Dr. Weir just snorted and Michelle continued. "What about the new guy, Sheppard?"

"He's up next actually. I haven't had a chance to speak with him, only read his file. Did you know he is ex-military?" Michelle shook her head. "Apparently he was discharged after disobeying orders. I'm not too sure what to make of that. We don't need someone reckless out there getting us all killed."

"Yeah but military training might come in handy. Especially if we are trying to pull in Almeida."

Elizabeth tightened her lips and dropped her head to her chest. "You're right. I just hope Sheppard works out. We are going to need all the help we can get to bring Almeida in. I'll get Rodney to gather all the classified files on John Sheppard. Maybe he can get me the whole story there."

Michelle leaned back in her chair and took a sip of her coffee. "Speaking of Almeida, I have everything we've been able to find on him. Rodney wasn't kidding when he said they've kept this locked up so tight even _he _can't get to much."

"That's saying something coming from Rodney." Elizabeth made her way over to the other woman and studied her screen, a picture of their next target staring back at them. "He's handsome. Even though it's one of those typical "boys don't smile" military pictures."

Michelle shivered a little. "I guess he is...for a killer."

Dr. Weir glanced at her. "He's scared Michelle. He doesn't know what's happened to him or why. They did this to him. Our own government turned him into a monster. You can't forget that. I'm planning on you being able to help him."

Properly chastised, Michelle nodded. "I'm sorry Elizabeth."

"Don't worry about it. I'd be more upset if you weren't scared." Elizabeth went back to her seat and finished with the two current subjects. She excused them and watched as two new men entered the small arena. She recognized the one on the far right as Sheppard. She couldn't help but grin at his hair. _Did he just roll out of bed and come straight here?_

"Ok gentlemen this is how this works. I need you both to engage in combat while I observe your abilities. Once I've seen enough I'll let you know when to stop. Keep it clean and simple. I'll know what I'm looking for once I see it." The man on the far left started stretching, jumping up and down like he was getting ready for a boxing match. Turning her gaze back to Sheppard, he just stood there. Confused, she opened the intercom again. "Major Sheppard...you do realize this is for a team position?"

"Yes ma'am. You made that clear at the briefing this morning."

Elizabeth turned to look at Michelle, who just shrugged at her. She turned back to watch them and just said "well then, begin."

Both women watched as the man facing Sheppard made his way to the other side of the arena. Sheppard didn't move. His opponent didn't seem phased by the lack of concern and smirked as he reached out to grab John by the throat. He wasn't able to get a hand on him though. Sheppard caught his wrist before the other man could touch him. Glancing up at the booth, John never took his eyes off of Elizabeth as he started to float upwards.

Michelle was the first to rise and approach the glass. "Dr. Weir...he's a flyer."

Elizabeth slowly stood. He was half way to the top of the arena by now, the other man dangling in his grip and struggling, begging to be put back down. She looked down from them to try and gage the distance he'd flown and finally returned her gaze to his. He gave her a little smirk and she couldn't help but smirk back. She watched as he lowered the other man to the ground, none to gently and he just sheepishly shrugged when she gave him a raised eyebrow at the rough treatment.

She opened up the intercom again. "That's very impressive Major. The ability to fly is very rare. Even among our kind."

There it was again, that cocky smile. "There's more where that came from doc."

She gave him a confused look and then took a step back in surprise when he suddenly burst into flames. Elizabeth glanced at Michelle, both of them dazed. She walked to the glass as he hovered back up in the air again and came closer, finally putting a fiery palm on the glass between them. She raised her own hand and timidly placed it on the other side of his, ready to pull it away if the heat was too much but the glass was cool to her touch. He could control the heat.

Elizabeth never broke eye contact with him as she spoke to Michelle. "We've found our fifth team member."

"Wait, we haven't even seen him-"

"Michelle, he can fly and set himself on fire. He's coming with us."

* * *

_3 months later _

_Chicago, Illinois_

"We're coming up on the drop point. I gotta find a place to land this thing." John fiddled with the instruments in front of him while the rest of the team geared up. Not for the first time, he thought how seriously strange his life had become. He went from working on a farm to being chased out. Forget he'd saved a boy's life. The only thing they'd had for him were shotguns and shouts of "freak." Honestly, he was glad to have gotten out alive. Next thing he knew he was being approached by a very neurotic scientist named Rodney McKay. His story seemed crazy. A "special" team that tried to help out others of their kind. Of course he'd ran into other people who had strange abilities like he did, but he'd never thought about grouping up with any of them. Apparently it was becoming an increasing necessity. He couldn't fault normal people for being scared. The issue changed when those normal people decided that violence was the only option they had. And now, with what McKay had told him, they suspected that the government had started creating their own "special" people. Mutants. And it supposedly had started with this Anthony Almeida.

John glanced behind him to see how they were coming along. His eyes fell on Dr. Weir, something that he couldn't seem to keep from happening more and more. He hadn't gotten a chance to talk to her much yet, but he got the feeling it might be in his best interest to be careful there. It wasn't that he was bad with women, quite the opposite. But Dr. Weir wasn't just any woman. He had the feeling she had the ability to take something from him he'd never given another human being. His heart.

Besides, he needed to focus all his energy on keeping his more than inappropriate thoughts from the front of his mind. The woman was a mind reader after all.

Elizabeth turned around and made her way to the seat beside Sheppard. "I know our jumper isn't what you are used to flying Major, but I hope it's enjoyable."

"Are you kidding? This thing is like something out of a science fiction movie. I've never heard of anything like it." He pulled up the holographic HUD and did a scan of the buildings below them looking for a big enough rooftop to land.

"Well, just don't let McKay hear you talk like that. He built the thing. We'd never get him down from his ego high. Not that he's all that grounded anyway." She smiled at him and he had to hold his breath for a second.

The jumper shook as it touched down. John punched in a few things as he started to speak into his ear piece. "We've landed McKay. You able to read us?"

"Yes, I see all five signals. I went ahead and did a scan of the building. It's the one on your right. Looks like there are about 15 life signs. Dr. Weir or Michelle will have to track down exactly which one is Almeida."

Elizabeth stood up and moved to the back of the jumper as John released the rear hatch. "Copy that Rodney." She let her gaze travel to each member of her team. "This is the first time we've had to extract someone. It doesn't matter how much we've trained, this is a special case. He's scared and confused and we have no idea how he's going to react. Everyone stick together and stay focused." She looked over at John and he gave her a small nod.

Ronon buckled his vest. "Let's do this."

Everyone moved out of the jumper, quickly making their way down the side of the building and over to the one housing their target. Ronon, being the biggest, was in front with Michelle, Teyla and Elizabeth behind him. John brought up the rear covering their six.

Once inside the entrance they stopped, Elizabeth and Michelle both closing their eyes and concentrating. John knew the doc was a psychic but Michelle was an empath; something he wasn't familiar with. Teyla had tried to explain it to him. Something about being able to _feel _people, their emotions and personalities. It was like a borderline psychic and Dr. Weir was trying to help her pull it all together. He honestly didn't care how it worked, as long as she was able to keep them out of trouble.

"I think I might have him but you'd know better than I would Michelle. His mind is such a mess." Elizabeth opened her eyes and looked at her assistant, her eyes still closed and concentrating. It took her a few moments but she eventually picked up on something. "He's on the 4th floor. I feel...fear, sadness and anger. There's a lot of anger."

"Just my kind of target." Ronon pulled his tranquilizer gun from it's holster and started for the stairs. They went up to the 4th floor sending anyone they came in contact with out of the building. Elizabeth stopped them before moving further down the hall. Each level had six rooms, three on each side. John spoke up from the back. "There's windows on each end. Teyla and I should watch'm in case he gets out this way." Elizabeth glanced at each window. With his ability to fly and Teyla being able to teleport it made sense. "Ok, do it." She watched as Teyla took the window behind them and John made his way slowly down the hall stopping near the end. They were all dressed in black swat outfits and hard to see in the dark. Only John had special gear on; fireproof gear.

"Ok Michelle, which room?" Everyone turned to watch her. She closed her eyes and concentrated again. She never could explain to people how it felt to reach out to someone else, emotionally. Extending her consciousness and feeling around she was suddenly caught up in a wave of sorrow. _Alone. Killer. Monster._ The feelings were swirling, but were tinged with something else, almost like another set of emotions were present. Immense hate and anger: _Death. Run. Kill._

This had to be him. "He's through here." Ronon went to move but Michelle stopped him. "Be careful. His emotions, it's almost as if there are two of him." They turned where Michelle had indicated and Ronon entered the empty room, a mattress on the floor and a few items scattered around. He shifted to the side to let in Michelle and Elizabeth. The room was dark, but as they slowly entered, Michelle's eyes focused on a blacker corner. There it was again. Some kind of movement.

He was blinking.

She felt his awareness of them and the panic spike. _Run. _

She turned to Elizabeth and spoke softly. "He's in the far corner." Ronon kept his gun arm trained on where she had indicated. Elizabeth stepped in front of them, holding her hands up as a sign of peace. "We're not here to hurt you Mr. Almeida. We just want to help."

They all watched as he stepped out of the shadows, the small amount of light coming from the holes in the walls illuminating his form. His right hand slid along the wall, bracing himself. The color of his skin turning from brown to a milky blue, claws replacing his fingers and the transformation spreading up his arm. His breathing was ragged and he stumbled a bit as he came closer to Dr. Weir. He raised his head and a pair of yellow slitted eyes fell over them. That's when he finally spoke.

"Ya shouldn't have come here."

He lunged for Elizabeth but Ronon intercepted him, slamming them both to the ground. Almeida rolled away seemingly unphased by the attack. Ronon stood and started to change himself, his skin turning shiny and silver and hard as steel. "Want to try that again, this time with me?"

Almeida growled and swung, Ronon ducking it easily. He countered with his own swing and Almeida caught it, pulling him closer and then pushing with a force Ronon wasn't expecting. The beast had tossed him so hard, Ronon went through the wall landing out into the hall in daze.

He turned towards the two women. Elizabeth tried accessing his mind but it was so chaotic she couldn't find a thought to hold onto. He lunged at her again but Michelle stepped in front of her. "Michelle!"

The beast stopped, a hair's breath away from the young woman who was panting furiously, no doubt in fear. They just seemed to be looking at each other. Elizabeth watched as Almeida leaned in closer and seemed to smell the other woman. She finally spoke up when she noticed Michelle lifting her hand to touch him. "What're you-"

"Shhh." Michelle was scared to death but she had to do something to stop him from hurting Dr. Weir. Out of desperation she'd made an emotional link with him, which seemed to work. He'd stopped. Now though, she could clearly feel him. At least, she could clearly feel this part of him. _Beautiful. Warm. Want. MINE._

Michelle took a deep breath at his sudden posessiveness. She reached up a hand and touched his cheek, slightly taken aback by the scaled feel. Michelle kept her eyes on his, trying to calm him. _Easy, we're friends. Calm down._ He leaned down closer and she stiffened as he ran his nose along the side of her neck, smelling her again.

Suddenly he growled and reared back, reaching for his shoulder. She saw him pull out a dart and they both turned at the same time to see Teyla through the hole in the wall, her gun pointed at them. Almeida pushed Michelle behind him and growled again, this time at the other woman. He took off towards her, but Teyla ported before he had a chance to tackle her.

He stopped in the hall, looking around, clearly confused. He spotted Sheppard at the far end, guarding the window and took off at a run. Elizabeth pushed through the hole in the wall and shouted down the corridor. "Stop him Major!"

Teyla popped back into the hall, raised her gun and fired every shot she had left, all the darts hitting Almeida in the back. He roared at the pain but kept moving and tackled Sheppard, throwing them both out of the window behind. Michelle, Teyla, Ronon and Elizabeth all ran to the end of the hall but it was Elizabeth who shouted with worry. "John!"

Sheppard was there, floating in mid air, holding onto Almeida by one arm. He'd changed back and it looked like John was holding just another homeless guy. Only the multitude of darts in his back gave away the fact that he was indeed their target. John strained to pull him up and settled him over his shoulder, panting a bit at the weight.

"Well that was easy." He flew into the now broken window and landed sluggishly in the hall. He looked up at Ronon. "A little help here big guy? He's kinda heavy."


	3. Chapter 3

_I did it! I actually did what I said I was gonna do. Two chapters in a week. Been a while since I've done that, heh._

Well here ya go.

* * *

John walked into the control room and sidled up to Elizabeth. It was late in the evening but he wasn't surprised to see her up. He had already noticed that she was a bit of a workaholic. Ok, she was the definition of a workaholic. Still, he couldn't fault her for that. If things were as bad as they looked to be, they (himself included) had their work cut out for them. Elizabeth was sipping what he guessed was coffee and studying a large monitor. Almeida was clearly upset with his new situation.

"He said anything yet?" He'd expected to startle her but she just turned and smiled at him, sighing lightly.

"Not a word. I'm thinking about sending Michelle in the morning." Elizabeth noticed John giving her a funny look. "What?"

"I was uh, I expected to startle you." He rubbed the back of his neck, something she noticed he did when he was nervous. Giving him an eyebrow at his quirkiness she just smirked.

"You mean you were trying to." He gave her a sheepish look and she took pity on him. "Boys." She rolled her eyes and continued. "I could sense you coming." She turned back to watching Almeida.

"You read my mind?" Elizabeth jerked back around at his tone; timid and a little accusatory. "No. I wouldn't do that without someone's express permission Major. You have nothing to worry about there."

The tension in his demeanor eased a bit. She turned back to the monitor and clearing his throat he kept speaking. "You think it's such a good idea to put him in a cell? I mean, it might not be the best message to send." John watched as she leaned over to a panel and flicked a switch, changing the view of the monitor. His eyes widened as he took in the damage done to one of the holding rooms. He leaned in closer and saw the long and deep claw marks in the walls. The furniture had been completely destroyed, pieces of them scattered everywhere. The door had been torn off it's hinges and was splintered in half.

"He did that?" Elizabeth nodded and sighed again. "Ok well, guess I was wrong."

"To three rooms."

"Huh?"

"This is the third room. We tried to put him in a holding room three times. He destroyed each of them within minutes of the door closing." She placed her cup down and switched the feed back to Almeida;the man constantly pacing back and forth in his cell. "Trust me Major, I didn't want to cage him but it's for his own good. He doesn't think about his own safety, forget ours. See his left forearm?" She pointed up at the monitor and he squinted at the image. "He tore his arm open on the second door but we can't get close enough to him to treat it."

John watched Almeida pace from one end of the cell to the other. He had changed into the beast the minute he woke up and he hadn't changed back since. Those fierce yellow eyes never left the door. John knew what he was doing. Almeida was keeping himself on point. It was a military move that actually worried him a bit. They knew Anthony Almeida had access to his military training but apparently this beast did too. _Crap_.

"You see something Major?" Elizabeth had noticed the look on his face change to one of concentration.

"Just an idea but I think maybe his two sides are connected." He continued when she looked confused. "You said earlier in the briefing you weren't sure if one of his "personalities" could access the other." She nodded. "I'm thinking they can."

"What makes you say that?"

"Military man remember? He's changed forms, but he's showing clear signs of his military training." They looked back at the monitor and Elizabet's voice had a note of surprise in it. "Good job John." She glanced back at him and smiled.

The tips of John's ears turned red as he rubbed the back of his neck again, shifting his eyes. "Yeah well, you know."

Elizabeth grabbed her cup off the table as she made her way past him toward the door. "I think it's time for me to retire. You might want to get some sleep as well. I'm expecting you to help Michelle talk to him tomorrow." She laid her hand gently on his forearm as she breezed by and the tingle he got completely distracted him from her words till she was already gone.

"Wait? What?!"  


* * *

"I guess he can just keep that form forever if he wants?" Rodney McKay fidgeted a bit as he watched their newest team member move around his cell anxiously.

Ronon just grunted a response as his eyes never left the screen. Rodney went back to his computer and started typing away furiously. "I think Elizabeth has lost her mind this time. For sure. There is no way this guy will be able to control himself. It's a waste of time."

"That's Dr. Weir's choice though, isn't it?" McKay's head snapped around as Michelle made her way into the cell's computer room.

"There should be some kind of rule. If the leader is deemed a threat based on irrational decisions-"

Michelle shot him a look and walked closer to him, glaring. "And you think Elizabeth is irrational?"

Rodney sank back into his chair. "No."

"I didn't think so." He watched as she pulled something from her pocket and he gave a dramatic sigh when he saw what it was.

"Not again." He turned back to this terminal and started typing again.

"Come on Rodney. It's not my fault. I loaned it to Lorne and you know he's just now getting a handle on his abilities. Besides, you're the only one that can fix it." Michelle knew playing to the tech's ego would grant her request.

"You know, for someone who's supposed to be good at reading people you don't seem to grasp the idea that maybe it's bad to loan your electrical devices to someone who shoots lightening out his hands." He reached out for her iPod and, ignoring his thinly veiled insult, she handed it over. He closed his eyes for what she could only say was barely a second, then he handed it back. "Done. Anything else I can fix for you? Toaster? Microwave?" Rodney didn't hide the tone of annoyance in his voice. Not that he would if he could.

"Thanks McKay." Michelle smirked at him and looked over at the monitor Ronon was fixated on. She walked up beside her brother and laid a hand on his shoulder. Ronon cut his eyes at her but his gaze didn't stay for long. He was mad. She didn't need to read him to figure that out.

"I'll be fine. Sheppard is coming with me."

"I should be going with you."

Michelle sighed and moved toward the door. "Right and I'm sure Dr. Weir would like to replace the whole holding area instead of just a few rooms." She glanced back at Rodney. "Keep the feed going and send Ronon in at the first sign of anything funny happening."

Rodney waved her off. "Yeah yeah I know how to do my job by now thanks."

She took one last look at Ronon before turning and heading to the cell.  


* * *

Michelle turned the corner for the holding cells and was hit with a wall of sensation. Almeida was projecting, fiercely.

She placed one hand on the wall for support and felt another fall on her shoulder. "You ok?"

Breathing deeply to gather herself she smiled up at Sheppard. "He's not happy."

"Yeah well he's in a cage. I'd be pissed too." He glanced down the hall and then back at her. "Ready?"

Michelle nodded and straightened. She walked ahead of Sheppard and heard Dr. Weir on her comm before making it to the cell. _"He's stopped pacing. I think he knows you're coming."_

She heard John ask behind her "How would he know we were coming?"

"I can smell you." Almeida had stopped alright, as close as he could get to the bars on the far right side so he would be the first thing they saw as they approached.

Michelle shivered at the sound of his voice. They were both now standing in front of him a few feet away from the door, but his eyes never left her.

John was the first one to speak. "Smell us huh? I'll let you know that I'm the one that's Arctic Cold. She'd be Powder Fresh." Almeida still didn't acknowledge him. "Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to stare?"

Michelle couldn't help but smirk as Almeida growled at him. Still, his eyes never left her. "Anthony, we want to help you. But you need to drop your form."

"Tony."

"Excuse me?"

"Go by Tony."

Sheppard rolled on the balls of his feet. "See that? S'what we call a breakthrough. We'll be best friends in no time." Michelle's look told him he wasn't helping.

"What do you want with me?"

"Right now all we want is to treat your injuries." Michelle pointed to his arm and finally he glanced down then back at her.

"I heal. It's fine." He turned away from them and moved toward the back of his cell, apparently done with the conversation.

John sighed, annoyed. "Well this guy has no manners at all. Think we should-" but he stopped when he looked at Michelle and noticed her eyes were closed. "Oh sorry. Didn't know you were doing your mojo."

She didn't hear him. The cacophony of emotions and vibes coming from Tony were overwhelming. Linking with him again she sent a feeling of calmness.

He stopped in his cell and turned back towards them, his eyes still on her. "Mind reader?"

Michelle opened her eyes and smiled at him and she could feel him settle a little. "No, not exactly." She took a few tentative steps and John reached out to stop her. Before he could make a protest she shushed him. Her heart beat faster as every step she took closer, Tony took one as well. His eyes made her nervous but she stepped all the way up to the bars. It took all her willpower not to jump when he lifted his hands and rest them against the metal. She used the term lightly. What usually was a typical hand was scaled blue with long claws. Her eyes followed up his arms, the scales covering all of him. She had no doubt his chest was just as rough textured as the rest of him.

"Rodney, open the door."

Up in the control room Rodney turned quickly to look at Elizabeth; a worried look on his face. Elizabeth just glanced at him then back at the monitor. "Do what she says."

Rodney turned back to the door panels, looking back up at the monitor. "I don't like this."

Michelle jumped at the loud clang of the locks releasing and Tony dropped his hands as the bars started to move towards the ceiling. They both watched the door disappear and then dropped their eyes to each other. Michelle stood her ground as Tony took a few short steps to stop in front of her. _Beautiful. Warm. Mine._

She could feel her skin tingle as his yellow eyes took her in from head to toe slowly. Reaching her hand out slowly, she felt one side of his face. The texture was scaly like it looked, smooth and bumpy to the touch. _I'm here to help you. Please drop your form._

Tony's eye's narrowed at first and then she gasped as he switched before her eyes. The stubble of his face was rough under her hand but his eyes, they were a rich warm brown. So much different from his alter ego. His projection was different in his human form as well. Instead of anger, it was depression, loneliness. She smiled up at him, trying to be reassuring and he smirked back a bit, cutting his eyes at the floor.

Dr. Carson Beckett, the team's medical lead, came around the corner approaching timidly. He looked over at John who was resting against the cell then back at Michelle and their new team member. "Everything alright love?"

Michelle dropped her hand and pulled up Tony's injured arm and waving Carson over, her eyes met Tony's again. "Everything's going to be fine."


	4. Chapter 4

_It's been forever since I updated this one. Just remember this Tony and Michelle are a little younger. Bascially He's late 20's and she's mid 20's so not the same as the show._

_Also this story doesn't just focus on Tony and Michelle. It's also a John and Elizabeth story. (From Stargate: Atlantis)_

_PG_

* * *

Michelle flinched again as Tony took another swipe at her brother. It's not that Ronon couldn't handle himself. If any of them could fend for themselves, it was Ronon. But they were learning quickly, there was more to their new team member than they had even planned for.

Like the fact that whatever Tony's skeletal system was made from, was strong enough to chip metal. Even the type that covered her brother's body when he used his powers.

Ronon and Tony had started sparring 15 minutes ago and so far, Michelle could make out five long scratches along various areas of Ronon's body. She looked over at Elizabeth. The doctor was jotting notes down quickly. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Elizabeth glanced back her way. "We have to judge his abilities thoroughly."

Michelle got up from her console and approached the glass that looked out over the sparring arena. "They hate each other. You know that." She saw Dr. Weir smirk and smiled in shock herself. "You're doing it on purpose!"

"Ok, there is just a _tad _bit of enjoyment tormenting Ronon." Elizabeth smiled at Michelle then went back to taking notes. "But honestly, he's only been here two weeks. He's rested long enough. We need to get a full reading on what, exactly, he can do." When she looked at Michelle this time, her face was much more serious. "He was made into a killing machine. That's no secret. If we want to really help him, we need to know as much as we can. You of all people know how dark it is in his head."

Michelle looked back through the window at Tony. His blue back was turned towards her and this time, he'd forgone a shirt. His scales shimmered under the lights overhead as he moved back and forth to dodge Ronon's attacks. They'd only had two sessions together so far. The first one was short but she, at least, got him to stop walking around in his "other" form. The second wasn't as productive. It actually ended with three broken chairs and Almeida's strong refusal to ever sit with her again. She wasn't taking no for answer, of course. The shell of self loathing around him was thick, but she knew she could reach him. She definitely knew his beast form was ok with her being around.

Down in the arena Ronon had trapped Tony in a corner. Ronon watched as his yellow eyes scanned his surroundings. "That's right, no where to go now." Dr. Weir had said to take it easy but he'd seen the way Almeida looked at Michelle. He was going to make sure the freak knew to stay away from her. He reached out to grab Almeida around the neck but moving in a blue blur the man suddenly went up the side of the arena. Ronon just looked up angry and shocked.

"Elizabeth! Are you seeing this?" Michelle had walked closer to the glass in the observation room. Looking down she watched as Tony moved vertically up the wall. Elizabeth joined her just as he made it to the glass in front of them. His eyes scanned Elizabeth and then shifted to Michelle. Elizabeth glanced at Michelle and smirked. "I think he likes you."

Michelle blushed at her comment but didn't take her eyes off Tony. One of his clawed hands was flat against the glass. She leaned in closer to see his palm. "I don't see exactly how he's able to accomplish this." She straightened and placed her hand on the glass against his. His yellow eyes squinted in confusion at the gesture and then he smiled. Michelle couldn't help but smile back. Even with the fangs he had in this form, he was still attractive when he smiled.

"Ok enough flirting you two." Elizabeth moved to a console and pressed the intercom button for the arena. "Tony, I'd like to run some physiological tests on you. Could you please make your way to the medical bay? We'll meet you there."

Tony turned his head to Elizabeth and gave a small nod. The women watched as he pulled back from the window, expecting him to just make his way back down the wall. Instead, they both stood in shock as a tail made it's first appearance.

"Is...is that a _tail_?" Michelle pointed as her mouth hung open.

Tony wrapped his tail around the steel girders over his head and swung back from the observation room, a smirk on his face. Swinging from one rung to another he caught a glimpse of Ronon below and just waved as he disappeared into the ceiling. Ronon scowled.

Michelle finally closed her mouth and turned to Elizabeth. The doctor just jotted more notes down on her clipboard. "Well, there's one more test we'll have to do."

* * *

Tony took a sharp breath. Carson just smiled at him and kept attaching the nodes to his chest.

"Sorry if they're cold." The doctor turned to mess with the machine Tony was hooked up to.

"What're these things anyway?" Tony pulled on one of the wires as he spoke.

"Dr. Weir wants to monitor your body as you change. See if there is anything we can pick up." Carson looked up as Elizabeth and Michelle walked into the lab. "Hello ladies." He smiled at Michelle as she took a seat next to Tony then looked over at Elizabeth. "He's all ready to go. I'll monitor everything in observation 2 and save it out to the share."

"Thank you, Carson." Beckett nodded at her as he left. Elizabeth jotted a few things down on her clipboard then turned to Tony. "This shouldn't take too long, all I want to do is have you change back and forth between forms a few times. As we do this, if it's ok with you, I'd like to enter your mind and see if I can maybe help you remember what happened to you...well before you woke up like this."

Tony hadn't looked at either of them yet and he just nodded. Elizabeth cut her eyes to Michelle.

Michelle laid a hand on his shoulder and she felt him stiffen. "I'll try and help if that's ok. I won't force anything on you but I'll project a calm feeling to keep things from being too much. Sometimes having someone in your head is, overwhelming."

He still wouldn't look at her. "K'." Michelle glanced up at Elizabeth indicating they should go ahead and start. She closed her eyes to concentrate as Dr. Weir started to speak.

"Ok Tony, I need you to just relax and think about the last thing you remember."

Elizabeth didn't catch anything at first but after a few seconds she felt like she was falling. The sudden drop made her gasp and this time when she opened her eyes she didn't see Tony, Michelle or the lab. She was in a cell. It was cloudy and she couldn't make out much detail but there were definitely bars. Turning she looked around the small space and stopped when something in the corner to her left moved. She didn't move but waited and the scene started to play itself out. Tony crawled out of the corner making his way to the middle of the cell. Elizabeth gasped and covered her mouth. He was covered in blood and from the wounds she could see all over him, it had to be his.

When he was close enough, he reached out and wrapped one trembling hand around a bar. Elizabeth bent down next to him to try and get a closer look at his injuries. It looked like he'd been sliced open around every bone. The stitching made a crude looking stick figure of his skeletal structure on his skin. His dog tags scratched against the concrete floor as he tried to pull himself closer to the bars. He was breathing heavily, no doubt from the pain, and sweating profusely.

_Who would do such a thing to another human being?_

Elizabeth turned to the bars and noticed the shadowy outline of someone beyond them. She couldn't see who it was. Obviously Tony's memory was hazy. The figure was talking but she could only make out a few words.

"_...change for us..." "...most experienced of your team..." "...this as an honor."_

Suddenly everything seemed to fast forward and she found herself outside at night. Glancing around she tried to take in as much as she could but everything looked the same. She was in the middle of a cluster of trees and the moon was half full. She didn't hear anything but felt something warm and wet splash across the left side of her face. Her hand rose to wipe the liquid away as she turned in the direction it had come from. There was Tony, only he was in his other form now and he wasn't alone. Even if she had screamed, no one could hear it.

His whole front was covered in blood and this time it wasn't his. She took a step back as he pulled one hand out of the chest of the soldier he was holding and threw the body to the ground. His yellow eyes scanned the treeline and he sniffed the air. He turned slowly to look right at her and she found herself looking back at Michelle.

"Jesus, Elizabeth! Couldn't you hear me? I've been calling you for the last five minutes."

Elizabeth looked back at her dazed for a second. It finally dawned on her that she was breathing faster and shaking a little. "I'm ok, I'm ok." She noticed John leaning against the wall near the door. Michelle saw her look his way. "I called Sheppard when I couldn't reach you. You were sending out waves of fear. What happened?"

Elizabeth noticed Tony had changed in the course of her reading and his eyes were fixed on her. "I was just startled, that's all." He broke eye contact with her and it was the first time she'd seen him show sadness while changed.

John pushed off the wall and stopped next to Tony's chair. "Do you know what she saw?"

"No. She said to focus on the last thing I remember. I did that. The last thing I remember is pain. Nothing but pain and anger." Michelle reached out to touch his arm and he pulled it away quickly. "Don't! Don't touch me!" One scaled hand yanked at the wires attached to him as he rose. "The tests are done." John didn't move at first as the beast stepped forward into his personal space, clearly wanting him to get out of his way. He crossed his arms and stepped to the side. Tony stormed past him and by the time he'd turned through the door he'd changed back human.

The silence was broken by Carson. "Elizabeth, you'll wanna see this."


End file.
